Creationism vs. Evolution

Two world-renowned authors and speakers will give presentations this month regarding the existence of God.

‘Thank God for Evolution’

MURFREESBORO – Members of the Middle Tennessee State University community aim to dispel the notion that religion and science are mutually exclusive.

The MTSU Science and Spirituality Group will present a discussion titled “The Future is Calling Us to Greatness: Coming Home to Reality” with the Rev. Michael Dowd at 7 p.m. Nov. 20 at Unity of Murfreesboro, 130 S. Cannon Ave. in Murfreesboro.

“This presentation will focus on six points of agreement held in common by tens of millions of religious and nonreligious people across the globe and how to stay inspired in the face of changing climate and other large-scale challenges,” said Dr. Gary Wulfsberg, MTSU emeritus professor of chemistry.

Dowd, who refers to himself as an “evolutionary theologian,” earned his bachelor’s degree in biblical studies and philosophy from Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri, and his master’s degree in divinity from Baptist Theological Seminary, now Palmer Seminary, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

His book, “Thank God for Evolution: How the Marriage of Science and Religion Will Transform Your Life and Our World,” has been endorsed by six Nobel Prize winners in the fields of physics, economics and physiology/medicine.

The Science and Spirituality Group grew out of conversations among MTSU professors about humanity’s place in the cosmos.

Since 2008, the group has brought accomplished speakers to campus to engage students, faculty and the public at large in dialogue that views both science and spirituality “as a valuable lens through which to explore perennial questions of human interest.”

SMYRNA – One of the world’s leading creationists will be speaking at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Giles Creek Baptist Church, 7084 Rocky Fork Road.

John Mackay, the Australian director of Creation Research, has been lecturing on the subject of origins and doing field research worldwide for the last 30 years.

An Australian geologist educated at the University of Queensland in Australia, Mackay began his career as an evolutionist and was gradually convinced by the evidence that evolution is false.

In March 2005 Mackay debated the United Kingdom’s leading theistic evolutionist, John Polkinghorne, in a live presentation that was moderated by BBC host Roger Phillips. He has participated in other debates across the globe, including one against Eugenie Scott, head of the National Center for Science in the United States.

At a technical level Mackay has addressed geologists at the Sydney Basin Coal Conference (1984) on the evidence for rapid coal formation and pursued this topic for a poster paper at the International Coal Conference in 1985. He’s also spoken on topics such as “The Evidence for Noah’s Flood” and “The History of Brief Time — the evidence the world did not evolve over millions of years.”

For many years Mackay was a science teacher in both state and private secondary education systems in Queensland, Australia. He also lectured in geology at tertiary level for technical education and was instrumental in establishing Creation Research in Australia, and is currently the international director of Creation Research.

Along with lecturing, Mackay has published many articles and appeared widely on radio, TV and public seminars, in universities, schools and churches throughout the western world.

Mackay has filmed a number of documentaries, including “The Search for the Origin of Life,” “The Origin of the Races” and “Darwin on the Rocks.”

To learn more about him, visit creationresearch.com or askjohnmackay.com.

Admission to the Wednesday evening speaking engagement is free and open to the public.

Contact Nancy De Gennaro at 615-278-5148 or degennaro@dnj.com. Follow her on Twitter @DNJMama.